The hardest part of having him, is keeping up with him.

Haha I feel like the title of this post is meant for someone who is talking about a child ;)

Honestly, if someone asked me what the hardest part about having a Pit Bull was, I would totally say "Keeping up with him." This dog has so much energy!

I actually witnessed a few nights ago what I would consider hyperactivity behavior, when I told him to lay down he did, but proceeded to fidgit. I was not going to put the dogs on the treadmill because it was really cold. I'll be honest, I was also tired and wanted to be lazy. After seeing this behavior I realized that he needed some exercise and ended up putting him on the treadmill anyway.

I know several people have their fair share of couch potato pits, but in my humble opinion, that doesn't mean their dogs are well kept. I think most Pit Bulls are totally underexercised - as I feel most dogs are in general.

Seppel doesn't stop. Even after 15mins, running 7.5mph, he's ready for more. I think he would run himself to death on the treadmill. I'm coming to learn this is a thing with the breed. They will go above and beyond, they will keep going, even if it kills them.

Sometimes I think Seppel would be better off in a single dog home, with someone who runs 10miles a day. But he lives with me, so I try to keep him as busy as possible, play with him, run him etc. to keep things interesting. A tired dog is a happy dog and all three of my dogs are better for it.


When I got Seppel, I really had no idea how much exercise he was going to need. We went many months without the treadmill just playing with toys and going on walks, but I realized mid 2012 he needed a lot more. Since we've been using the treadmill I see a dog who can settle down more quickly and actually relax. He's never been one to pace or do anything weird like that, but he's one that would move if I moved and wouldn't really settle down in the evenings. Since we've been using the treadmill he definitely settles down more. I've also noticed a big improvement in his behavior when we work on obedience, he seems to be a lot more focused and able to take on the task at a hand. We now use walks for 'bonding time' and 'learning time'. I am not a fast walker, we'd have to walk all day for him to burn off any energy. I don't expect walks to tap into anything at all. We do play some games with his toys - he likes jumping in the air for his rope toys and playing tug, I view that as a decent energy outlet also. But by far - the treadmill is what works best for him at this point. I'm hoping as it gets warmer out to try biking again, but I don't hold out much hope that he will run with the bike.

Keeping up with Sepp is a lot of work, but I am up for the challenge and enjoy his crazy antics and tenacious attitude!